The role of reaction to the gravitational force on a body

In summary, when a body is orbiting around the Earth, there is no normal reaction force due to the lack of a supporting surface. The force of gravity provides the centripetal force, but it does not get converted entirely to centripetal force. There is no resultant force towards the center of the Earth, as there is no normal force.
  • #1
LeahLala
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What happens to the normal reaction of the force of gravity on a body orbiting around the Earth? The force of gravity provides the centripetal force, but does all of it get converted to centripetal force? Is there any kind of resultant force towards the centre of the Earth (due to the normal reaction)? If so, how it is obtained and what is its role ? If not, what exactly happens to it?
 
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  • #2
LeahLala said:
What happens to the normal reaction of the force of gravity on a body orbiting around the Earth?
The so-called "normal force" is usually a force exerted by a surface that is supporting an object. For a body in orbit there is no support surface or normal force.

Is that what you meant by "normal reaction force"?
 

1. How does the gravitational force affect the motion of a body?

The gravitational force between two bodies is responsible for the motion of those bodies towards each other. The larger the mass of the bodies, the greater the gravitational force, and the faster the bodies will accelerate towards each other.

2. Can the gravitational force be negative?

No, the gravitational force is always positive. It is a force of attraction between two bodies and can never be repulsive.

3. How does the distance between two bodies affect the gravitational force?

The gravitational force is inversely proportional to the square of the distance between two bodies. This means that as the distance between two bodies increases, the gravitational force between them decreases.

4. How does the mass of a body affect the gravitational force acting on it?

The gravitational force acting on a body is directly proportional to its mass. This means that the larger the mass of a body, the greater the gravitational force acting on it.

5. Is the gravitational force the same on all objects?

No, the gravitational force depends on the mass and distance of the objects involved. Objects with larger masses will experience a greater gravitational force, and objects that are closer together will experience a stronger gravitational force.

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